Nebraska football had 30-plus recruits in attendance for Saturday’s season opener against Ohio. The heat and the Huskers’ slow start made for a tense first half, but Nebraska pulled away in the second half. Here’s what some top commits and targets had to say about their time in Lincoln
2027 Ashland-Greenwood (Neb.) three-star offensive lineman Barrett Kitrell was back in Lincoln for his first game since committing to the Huskers over the summer. Kitrell spent his time in Lincoln connecting with fellow commits.
“It was really good connecting with fellow 2027s,” he said. “This was the most I’ve ever talked to these guys and was great to continue these relationships! I thought that the offense played great, just needed time to warm up because it’s only the first game of the year. Once we got rolling our offense looked scary, especially the o-line. I thought the o-line played really physical and technically sound.”
2027 Omaha (Neb.) Millard North three-star offensive lineman Matt Erickson was back in Lincoln for the first time since his official visit June 19-21. The longtime Nebraska commit loved what he saw from the Huskers’ new-look offensive line.
“My experience in Lincoln is always great,” he said. “I always have a great time getting to talk to Trae and some of the other commits. I also love getting to talk to all the coaches again after not seeing them since my official visit. I also really enjoy getting to talk to all of the players after the game. The biggest thing that stood out to me today watching the Nebraska versus Ohio game was the offensive line play. Offensive line played really aggressive and was pretty technically sound. Offense started out slow, but that’s what will happen in the first game but once the offense really picked up, you could tell Nebraska is in a great spot for this season.”
Nebraska was the first to offer 2028 St. Louis (Mo.) Christian Brothers College wide receiver Kingston McPike in the spring and got the 5-foot-11, 185 pounder on campus for Saturday’s season opener. He kept a close eye on UCLA wide receiver transfer Kwazi Gilmer, who finished the day with five receptions for 58 yards and one touchdown.
2028 Lincoln (Neb.) Southwest quarterback Thatcher Shelton camped at Nebraska over the summer and earned an invite to Nebraska’s season opener as the Huskers are monitoring the dual-threat quarterback very closely this fall. Shelton earned an invite to yet another game after Saturday’s win.
“I had a great experience,” he said. “I had a bunch of great conversations and they invited me back to another game. I really like how Anthony (Colandrea) plays and I like how Nebraskas offense is aggressive. Another thing that stood out to me was the people; everyone was super nice and made it feel like home.”
2028 Lincoln (Neb.) North Star quarterback Elias Schafer is another in-state signal-caller the Huskers are monitoring closely. He took note of Nebraska’s balance offensively, as the Huskers finished with over 500 total yards, including 275 through the air and nearly 250 on the ground.
“I loved the atmosphere, always feels good when you’re in that place,” he said. “The run game was solid; I felt like they had a lot of good touches for yards. Pass game was good as well, loved to see Anthony Colandrea sling it and get loose.”
2028 Sioux City (Iowa) East four-star wide receiver Isaiah Grant has been on Nebraska’s radar for some time and landed an offer on Saturday while in Lincoln. The 6-foot-2, 185-pounder is closing in on double-digit offers, with the likes of Oregon, Illinois, Georgia Tech and Iowa already in the running.
2029 Raymore-Peculiar (Mo.) three-star athlete Devin Hill Jr. camped at Nebraska in June and earned an offer while on campus. He returned Saturday to take in his first game in Memorial Stadium and reconnected with some coaches he formed relationships with when he was last in town.
“What really stood out to me is that I love how they man up,” he said. “I’m a great man cover corner; I feel like that just caught my eye. I connected with lots of coaches I was talking to at the camp and met some new ones.”
2029 Kenosha (Wis.) Bradford athlete Nicholas Payne Jr. earned an offer from the Huskers while in town Saturday, his second Big Ten offer to date.
“Getting the offer from Nebraska was a huge moment for me,” he said. “I was honestly super surprised and felt like I was going to pass out when I found out. It felt like my first offer all over again.”
Payne felt the heat in Memorial Stadium, but earning the offer and getting a feel for Nebraska’s offense made the experience worth it.
“The experience on campus was great,” he said, “It was definitely hot in Memorial Stadium, but being there and getting to see everything firsthand was worth it. What really stood out to me about the offense was how they move the ball and how involved the receivers are. I was watching multiple receivers and I really liked seeing how much they were able to get involved in the passing game. I could definitely see myself fitting into that offense.”
2030 Omaha (Neb.) Central wide receiver Camden Berry has frequented Nebraska since landing an offer two years ago, when he was still in middle school. He’s just a high school freshman, but the Huskers have established early familiarity in his recruitment. He can see himself fitting in Daikiel Shorts Jr.’s wide receiver room.
“It was fun being back and seeing the guys win,” he said. “One thing that I liked about the offense is that the wide receivers were giving it 100% every play and blocking ’til the whistle.”
